No 10 'lied over weapons dossier'

Tony Blair is facing calls for a Commons inquiry into claims that Downing Street distorted intelligence information to make a crucial dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction more compelling.

In the dossier, the Prime Minister warned that Saddam Hussein could activate his chemical and biological arsenal in 45 minutes and was developing weapons capable of hitting British bases in Cyprus.

But a senior British official has told the BBC that the claim was added to make the dossier "sexier" despite warnings from intelligence agencies that it had not been corroborated.

Adam Ingram, the defence minister, admitted that the claim was based on a single source.

But he denied that the Government had forced the intelligence agencies to include doubtful information in the dossier. He said: "That is not the case. There was no pressure from Number 10. That allegation is not true."